Michael Angelo
Michael Angelo (born October 20th, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defender currently playing for the Helsinki Titans of the Victory Hockey League. Angelo was a part of the Season 18 "mega" draft and was drafted by the Riga Reign in the second round of said draft. Angelo was dealt to Helsinki from Riga for Jonathan Slade, a journeyman defenseman who has since played for multiple VHL clubs. Angelo, while still yet to enter his true prime, has one of the better rookie defenseman seasons under his belt assuming he continues his activity and practice, he is known as having great potential to become one of the better players from the mega draft. Pre-Draft Angelo was considered by many to be a potential steal candidate in the Season 18 Draft. He had shown splurts of activity and was considered a hit or miss prospect. In one season in the VHLM with the Gothenberg Eagles, Angelo had just 18 points in 72 games. For a two way defenseman such as Angelo, these numbers were not very good, but he did show, throughout the season, signs of improvement. He was a good sized kid with great speed and a booming slap shot as well as an above average sense of defensive awareness. Angelo also represented the United States of America at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship where he and the USA struggled to a fifth place finish. VHLM Years At the Season 18 VHL Entry Draft, many teams had serious interest in acquiring Angelo's rights through the draft. He fell to the 15th pick and was drafted by the Riga Reign. However, before he even played a single game in the Reign uniform, Angelo was dealt to the Helsinki Titans for, as mentioned before, career depth defenseman, Jonathan Slade. Angelo played the 18th VHL season in the VHLM with the Kolari Panthers where he improved drastically, scoring 65 points in 72 games this year, helping Kolari secure a playoff berth. Angelo also spent Season 19 in the minors, again playing for the Panthers where he picked up 108 points in 72 games, making him one of the top scoring defenders in the league. Now, it was clear to the Titans brass that Angelo no longer had anything to prove in the minors and thus, belonged in the big leagues. Micheal was called up starting the 20th VHL Season. Season 20 As the VHL celebrated it's 20th anniversary, Angelo was meant to play a 4th defenseman's role. That is, be good on the power play and play alright five on five, however nothing spectacular was expected of the 21 year old. Angelo however, was determined to prove the Titans were correct for trading for his services and Angelo ultimately scored 21 goals and an incredible 98 assists, leading the Helsinki Titans in scoring with 119 points. Angelo was a star defender in just his first VHL season. Angelo was rewarded for hard work and perseverance by being named (by the VHL General Managers) as the Rookie of the Year for Season 20, becoming the first defenseman in 4 years to win the award. Season 21 As the 21st season began, the Titans and Angelo had new expectations. Many pegged them to make the playoffs and compete for a title, but such did not prove easy. Davos, the previous league winners, still had one of the top goalies in Kanou and Riga was, as always, competitive. To some peoples shock, Angelo, and the Titans for that matter, failed to live up to the expectations and missed the post season. Angelo had another quality season with 82 points in 72 games, but failed to live up to, most importantly, his own lofty expectations and considered at some points of the season retirement. The Future As it is with most young VHL players, the future is the most important thing we can talk about. What does the future offer for Mr. Angelo? With the Titans looked at as favourites in Europe for next season, Angelo should have another strong season and help build his resume as one of the better first generation defenders in recent VHL history.